


Lost in Translation

by alipiee



Category: Yuri!!! on ICE, Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime), yuri on ice
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Drunk! Yuuri, Fluff, GPF, Grand Prix Final, Hasetsu, Hurt/Comfort, Jealous! Viktor, M/M, Miscommunication, Russia, Yoi - Freeform, Yuri on Ice - Freeform, banquet, drunk! Yuri, hurt! Victor, hurt! viktor, jealous! victor, the banquet, yuuri on ice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-05
Updated: 2017-01-27
Packaged: 2018-09-15 02:14:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9214457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alipiee/pseuds/alipiee
Summary: Viktor falls in love at the banquet and he thought Yuuri felt the same; when he gets to Hasetsu he's not too sure.(In which Yuuri gets so drunk he can't remember the banquet; meanwhile it's all that Viktor can think about.)





	1. The Banquet™

**Author's Note:**

> I've wanted to write this angst ever since finding out about the banquet but I only just got around to it; hope you enjoy, CC welcome! <3

"And in first place is Viktor Nikiforov, crowning him the Grand Prix gold medalist for five consecutive years!" 

The tannoy echoed through the ice rink as cheers exploded from the crowds in celebration, however, this didn't really come as a surprise to Viktor; skating came naturally to him and placing first didn't seem to be a challenge, so as he stepped up to the podium, he gave a fake smile to the audience as hundreds of camera flashes went off, making his eyes sting.

His coach, Yakov, smiled proudly at him from the audience as the gold medal was placed carefully over Viktor's head; he brought it up to his lips to place a gentle kiss on it, causing the screams to grow louder.

Viktor couldn't lie, he loved the attention and the admiration that he got from his fans, not to mention the pride he felt seeing Yakov grin at him as his hours of daily practise had paid off yet again.

Despite this, he also felt another emotion tugging slightly at his mind, one he couldn't seem to shake off: boredom.

It wasn't as if he didn't love ice skating - he did, really; it was something that he did to help him relax, think and just generally have a good time while being able to express himself alongside the music. Nevertheless, his performances over the past few years had increased in difficulty, his themes changed and he used unusual music to make him more original; but it was becoming more difficult to surprise the audience and judges and he felt as though he was becoming stagnant. 

After a couple of minutes standing on the podium, posing for photos and being handed flowers, Viktor was allowed to leave and he headed straight to his coach, who engulfed him into a hug and explained how proud he was - yet again - which brought a a genuine smile to his face and he grinned happily. 

Although Viktor just wanted to go back to his room, get changed and head to the banquet to get incredibly drunk, he was intercepted by many reporters, all of which had a microphones in hand and were thrusting them towards his mouth and speaking over each other frantically. 

Rolling his eyes at their desperation, he informed them that he would answer any questions at the interview panel shortly before hastily rushing away to change out of his costume. Once he was wearing his favourite white and red tracksuit and was happy with his appearance, he headed out of the locker room and poked his head into the room in which the panel was going to be held. 

There were at least a hundred seats laid out opposite the main table that had his name on it and Viktor felt slightly nervous; he was confident on the ice because he was in his element and so lost in the music that he forgot that people were watching him, scrutinising every single thing he did. However, at this table, he was fully aware of all of the eyes that would be staring at him and he wasn't even sure how he would answer to some of the questions if he was being honest to himself.

The chairs quickly filled up and Viktor knew that he would be called in soon, so he began to bite his nails, looking around for Yakov to give him a pat on the back or some words of encouragement before he went in, however he did not spot his coach and with a sigh, assumed that he was already seated. 

Soon enough, the main host for the interview introduced him and he walked into the room confidently, waving at the guests with a cheeky grin on his face as he placed himself onto the chair. The runners up, Christophe Giacometti and Jean Jaques Leroy also took their places beside him, congratulating him on his victory again before the host began to ask questions.

"Viktor," he smiled, turning to face the Russian man, "this is your fifth consecutive gold medal at the Grand Prix Final, how are you feeling?"

He thought for a moment, how did he feel? Obviously it wasn't as exciting as his first gold medal. Or his second. Or his third. Or fourth. He definitely wasn't disappointed, he had won after all, but he didn't really feel excited, or surprised; obviously he couldn't say that, because it would make him seem extremely big-headed, so he put on an exaggerated grin, moving closer to the microphone in front of him.

"I'm completely over the moon! Honestly, I wasn't sure if my performance had been up to par with last years so I didn't think that I would win, so yeah...it's a bit surreal," He gave a nervous chuckle, moving his long silver fringe away from his eyes so he could see the faces in front of him more clearly, "especially when i was against these two incredibly talented athletes."

Viktor hoped that he could take some of the attention away from himself by flattering Chris and JJ, as well as trying to earn their respect and ensure they didn't think that he was full of himself. Luckily it worked, and a few questions were directed at them rather than himself and he allowed himself to relax, scanning his eyes over the small crowd in front of him. 

He watched as the door at the back of the room opened, and a small man quietly made his way to a spare chair; he seemed familiar and Viktor scrunched his eyebrows slightly, knowing that it was on the tip of his tongue. As he took in the boy's appearance more closely, he finally recognised him as the Japanese finalist who had just placed last in the competition; he couldn't help but feel pity towards him as he noticed that his eyes seemed bloodshot and there were still traces of tear stains on his red cheeks. Alongside the pity, however, he felt curiosity, he seemed to have been a strong skater, so why did he fumble up so badly today? The large glasses on his petite face caused a small smile to tug at Viktor's lips, and his large brown eyes were glancing across the room frequently, never really saying in the same place for long; but when they locked with Viktor's, they seemed frozen and widened in surprise. Viktor found himself licking his lips, he was pretty cute- wait what? Since when did Viktor call people cute-

"-Mr Nikiforov?" He was quickly ripped from his thoughts by the mention of his name and he looked over to see the host staring at him expectantly.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat the question please?" He asked, flashing his well-loved smile, knowing that it would make up for his lack of concentration. 

"Of course, what can we expect from you and your career in the future?"

And there it was.

The one question that he didn't want to answer.

Biting his lip, he placed a finger on his chin, engrossed in thought, he had contemplated about it a lot, weighing out different options; on one hand he felt as though he never wanted to retire, knowing that nothing had ever made him feel as happy as ice skating had, but he couldn't deny that he was at a loss for inspiration and had no idea what he was going to do for the next season.

Realising that they expected an answer, but not knowing what to say, he smirked and gave a cheeky wink, hoping that it would be sufficient. 

"You'll have to wait and see." 

The audience seemed disappointed, wanting to know exactly what his plans were and what they would be seeing in the future; then again, if he had told them, his next performance would not be able to surprise them, and that was his number one priority.

After trying to get him to elaborate unsuccessfully, the host moved on, asking the other athletes questions and giving Viktor another break; soon enough the panel came to a close and they were given a round of applause as they stood from their seats and began to leave the room. On his way out, Viktor quickly glanced around, trying to spot the Japanese boy from earlier, but to his disappoint he had already left. 

Shaking his head to try and clear his mind of the mysterious brunette, he headed to his hotel room to get ready for the night ahead. Stepping into the shower, he embraced the warmth of the water and smiled as he rubbed the scented shampoo into his hair; he wanted to look his best tonight, knowing that he would be meeting lots of people who would want to congratulate him and he needed to make a good impression. 

Once he had turned the taps off, he quickly rubbed the towel against himself and wrapped it around his waist, heading into his room to grab his clothes; he wasn't really used to wearing suits, he spent the majority of his time in tracksuits while he practised and then costumes during competitions, the only time he really wore suits was at special occasions such as this one.

Reaching into the small wardrobe, he pulled out the suit that he had hung up the previous night; it was dark grey - almost black, but not quite; it was perfect. As he buttoned up the white shirt, he realised just how expensive it had been by the way it softly touched his skin and he enjoyed the new feeling compared to the harsh plain t-shirts he was accustomed to wearing. The jacket and trousers were the same, feeling lighter than he had expected, which was a good thing because it meant that he could move around more easily and not have to worry about being weighed down the whole night; he gently laughed to himself when he realised that he wasn't actually too sure how to tie his tie due to his lack of experience and decided that he would just ask Yakov to tie it for him before they arrived at the banquet. 

After quickly drying his hair with the cheap hair dryer provided by the hotel, he brushed through it gently, leaving his fringe out as he usually did. He may not be able to choose his own image, but his hair was always something that he took pride in and would refuse to let anyone touch it or change it unless he agreed. Looking at himself in the mirror, he thought back to when he had long hair and almost missed the way it flowed over his shoulders; nevertheless, he still liked his new hair and felt as though it made him look handsome so he wasn't complaining. 

After placing his shoes on and grabbing his wallet, he rang Yakov to let him know that he was ready to leave and waited for the knock at his door. Glancing at his watch, he noticed that he still had at least half an hour until the banquet started, and it was only a few floors down so he wished that he had waited a little while; however his coach would have insisted they were early anyway, lecturing him on his manners and saying something about seeming organised.

The tap on the door informed him that it was time to leave and he pulled it open, to become face to face with Yakov; one look at Viktor's tieless shirt made him roll his eyes and sigh, but he tied it anyway with a chuckle.

Apparently no one else thought it was good manners to be early because by the time they arrived at the large doors, there were only two or three people standing around, each of them holding an untouched glass of champagne.

"Mr Nikiforov, welcome!" 

Viktors head spun around to greet the man in charge of the event and he smiled kindly, "Thank you."

"Would you like a glass of champagne?" He asked with a raised eyebrow, although it wasn't really a question and he was already summoning one of the waiters over. He took two of the glasses from the tray they were holding and handed them to Viktor and his coach with a smile.

"I'm afraid there are a few last minute things that I need to do before the event officially begins, so if you would excuse me." The man said apologetically and hastily walked away from the gold medalist and into one of the rooms connected, most likely the kitchen, Viktor decided.

"Vitya, go and talk to people, this is a place to make new connections and improve your public appearance." Yakov instructed, nudging the young man who was studying the wallpaper, clearly bored.

"There's no one to talk to yet, there's only a few people and they're already talking I'll wait until more people arrive." He rolled his eyes, uninterested in faking smiles and saying "thank you so much" just yet. So he instead sipped his champagne and decided now was as good a time as any to speak with his coach about the conflict in his mind.

"Yakov?" He looked up at the larger man, waiting for him to give his full attention, "I don't know what to do."

"What do you mean?" He questioned, knitting his eyebrows together before taking a gulp of his drink.

"Like...I don't know, it's just it's so hard to surprise people now and I don't know if I can win another gold, it's all a bit...boring now, no matter what I do they're not going to be blown away." Viktor explained, biting his nails before Yakov slapped his hand away and stared closely at him, as if he was trying to decide if Viktor was being serious or not.

"What are you talking about? You are Viktor Nikiforov; if anyone can win gold it's you, you've proved that five times in a row!" He almost yelled, confused at where these doubts were coming from; he had never seen a man so talented at ice skating in his life and the fact that he was showing reluctance to continue ignited something within him, "you cannot give up! I have not spent many years of my life coaching you for you to retire at 27, you still have lots of potential and I can't stand the thought of watching it go to waste."

"Woah, calm down," Viktor said, placing a hand on his coach's shoulder with wide eyes, "I never said I was going to give up; I just thought that I should tell you what I've been thinking before we meet all these important people so that we're on the same page when they begin to ask questions." 

Yakov's shoulders loosened as he sighed in relief, "Okay good. But under no circumstances will you tell anyone that you are having any doubts at all; if that information gets passed around, people could blow it out of proportion and the next thing you know there's a newspaper with your face on the front, talking about your retirement. After that you'll have phone calls around the clock interrogating you and your sponsors may even cancel their contracts, leaving you without the option to continue skating. Is that what you want?"

His serious tone made Viktor realise that this could get spread around quickly and he shook his head violently, "God no, of course that's not what I want." 

"Good. Now smile, looks like everyone has arrived." 

True to his word, a hundred or so people began flooding into the room, all chatting excitedly as they were handed a champagne flute and complimented the decorations set up in the large hall.

Viktor began to feel a small sense of dread in his stomach as he spotted his sponsors heading over to him and groaned as he knew he was in for a lot of talking and false smiles.

"Viktor! Congratulations!" One of them said, pulling him into a hug, "Such an impressive performance - as usual." 

"Thank you." He said, forcing his lips to twitch up slightly into a smile, "I'm just glad that all those hard hours of practise have paid off." 

"Certainly! You're making Russia proud I'm sure." 

"He is, he is truly an inspiration." Yakov declared, grinning proudly, "He's such a talented young man." 

Viktor was glad at the small rest he got as Yakov took over the conversation and he zoned out completely, waiting for them to eventually leave. Unfortunately, they were not satisfied by his earlier answer of having to "wait and see" what he was going to do next and began to ask him lots of questions, all of which Viktor avoided as much as he could.

In the corner of his eye, he noticed two people arriving late and as he turned slightly more, he recognised one of them as Yuuri, looking as sad as ever as his coach led him into the room. His head was hung as he stared at the floor, his glasses balancing on his nose as he walked slowly with slouched shoulders as he headed towards the table of champagne; he was not going to have a good time tonight, Viktor thought, giving him a look of pity once again. 

A pat on his shoulder grabbed his attention and he smiled apologetically to his sponsors before continuing to vaguely answer their questions; he found himself becoming incredibly bored and wanted to watch Yuuri, intrigued by him; a small part of him also wanted to make sure he was ok, although he knew that it was not his place - and even if he did, he would seem incredibly patronising and probably upset the brown-eyed boy even further.

Ten minutes later, he was still being forced to answer questions and had only just noticed that his glass was now completely empty; he politely excused himself from the conversation, asking where the toilets were before rushing towards them, glad to get away from the dullness of their conversation.

Entering the painfully white room, he cringed before proceeding to relieve himself; as he was washing his hands, he thought he heard snivelling and turned the tap off, listening more closely. Sure enough, someone was crying in one of the stalls and he tapped gently on it.

"Hello? Are you okay?" 

"I'm fine! Thanks!" The words were slurred and he could tell that the person was already pretty drunk and he was not sure if he could deal with it, knowing how bad he was in situations like these.

"Are you sure?" He asked again, needing clarification; he hoped they would say yes so that he could leave, not really wanting to console a drunken man when he was supposed to be celebrating his victory. 

"Yeppp." 

"Okay." Viktor left the bathroom and grabbed another glass of champagne on his way back to Yakov; if he was expected to speak to boring people for the next few hours, he needed something to help. 

-

"You!" Everyone turned to face the extremely drunk Japanese boy who was pointing a finger at Yuri Plisetsky, "I challenge you to a dance off." 

Yuuri looked as though he had been crying again by the tear stains, but now he wore a smile and didn't seem upset in the slightest.

Yuri looked confused as he glared at him, "What are you doing, we're not having a dance off; are you out of your mind?" 

"Nopeee, just drunk." He giggled, grabbing Yuri's hands and pulling him into the centre of the room.

"Oh my god, Yuuri, what are you doing?" His friend, Phichit asked, holding his head in his hands, but there was a smirk plastered on his face, clearly enjoying it.

"Shhh, come join us Phichit!" He grinned, motioning for him to come over, but he just laughed and shook his head.

Viktor thought that it was quite entertaining watching Yuri look embarrassed as he stood beside a drunken man who was yelling him to dance.

"Go on Yuri!" Chris yelled, clearly amused, "Show us what you've got." 

Yuri shook his head frantically as Chris hijacked the music and switched from the classical pieces to something more upbeat. 

Yuuri, however, began to smile and giggle as he started to do some moves that couldn't really be classed as dancing, throwing his arms and legs around as he circled Yuri, who was standing with his arms crossed, glaring at him.

"Aww, come on Yuri, you're not going to let him show you up are you?" Chris teased, knowing that it would push Plisetsky's buttons, "Let's see who the better Yuri really is." 

With a sigh, Yuri gave in and began to dance, putting an incredible amount of passion into it as he felt the need to prove himself in front of all of these people; it was embarrassing at the moment, sure, but he was determined to win the Grand Prix Final next year, and people will have forgotten all about this by then, so what's the harm? 

"Oooo." Yuuri laughed, "you're actually really good at this."

Ignoring the comment, Yuri continued to dance, getting lower to the floor before performing a few handstand-like moves, causing those who were drunk to begin to cheer, making the smile on his face grow.

The two of them battled it out until the end of the song and as the last note played they both ended with a dramatic pose; everyone in the room began clapping and laughing - including Viktor. Although Yuri wouldn't admit it, he actually had fun and had to tame the smile that was trying to creep onto his face.

The next song started and Viktor noticed a small and gentle hand place itself around his own and he looked down to see Yuuri smiling at their intertwined hands. He was confused, until he was being led into the centre of the room and bit his lip as his mind began to race; he really didn't want to embarrass himself in front of all of these people whose respect he had gained, but a larger part of him really wanted to dance with Yuuri.

"Wait! I've got the perfect song!" Chris shouted, the grin on his face clear as he spoke.

Suddenly a song he was unfamiliar with started to play, however he could tell it was a song that was danced together and his eyes widened; Yuuri however, just grinned confidently before he loosened Viktor's tie and placed his hands on his waist, deciding that he was leading. He pulled Viktor close and began to quickly move around the centre of the room, spinning the two of them as he looked into his eyes with something that Viktor couldn't quite put his finger on. Admiration? Lust? Excitement? 

He couldn't ponder for too long because Yuuri let go of his waist and pushed him away, signalling for Viktor to spin - which he did - before pulling him to his chest once again. Viktor was surprised at how talented Yuuri was at dancing and couldn't help but wonder if he'd had lessons or whether he had just picked it up from ice skating and was improvising; but it seemed far too good to be improvised. Viktor couldn't help but blush when he felt himself being dipped and he looked into Yuuri's glistening brown eyes with his own soft blue ones and thought for a moment that he was going to lean down further and kiss him. The thought was ridiculous though and Yuuri showed no signs of wanting to as he pulled them both back up to a standing position and continued with the remainder of the dance.

As Viktor was lead through the moves, he couldn't help but feel warm everywhere Yuuri's hands found themselves and he grinned; he couldn't recall the last time he'd enjoyed another persons company this much, or the last time he actually felt excited by another person's touch for that matter. It was refreshing and he didn't want the dance to end, so when the music stopped and Yuuri let go of him, beginning to search the crowd for a new dance partner like nothing had happened, his chest tightened and he felt entirely disappointed. Aware of people staring at him, he quickly shook off the feeling and made his way back to where he had previously been standing.

"Hey Yuuri! I'll give you another dance." Chris winked at the younger man and Yuuri licked his lips as the attractive blonde approached him.

"What did you have in mind?" He smirked, running a finger along his chest flirtatiously and Viktor felt his jaw tense, why was he so affected by this? The two of them were just having a bit of fun, besides Yuuri was so plastered he probably had no idea what he was doing anyway.

"See that pole over there?" He motioned to the corner of the room with a jerk of his head and everyone looked over to see a tall metal pole, Viktor knew where this was going and he wasn't sure if he liked it.

"You're on." Yuuri winked, practically running over the pole and waited for someone to choose an appropriate song; one that seemed very suggestive began to play and Yuuri began wiggling his hips before slowly untying his tie and wrapping it around his head, causing his messy hair to stick up everywhere as it was pulled back. Biting his lip seductively, he began to unbutton his trousers and turned around, sliding them off and throwing them into the audience, making sure everyone got a look at his defined booty. Viktor felt heat rising to his cheeks and he wanted to look away, but he found himself completely intoxicated by him, unable to avert his attention. 

Yuuri smirked when he heard wolf-whistles from the crowd and it made him more confident; he grabbed the pole and wrapped one leg around it, slowly spinning as he threw his head back in enjoyment; usually he hated attention, he couldn't stand people watching him, but now it was like a drug, all he wanted was more eyes on him.

"Take your shirt off!" Someone yelled and Viktor's eyes whipped across, trying to find who said it, but unfortunately he was unable to tell; nevertheless, it didn't matter anyway, because surely Yuuri would never-

As he looked back at Yuuri, he had began to slowly unbutton his shirt, savouring every bit of attention he was receiving, clearly loving it. Viktor's jaw dropped, no way was he doing this, he couldn't recognise the person in front of him; it wasn't as if he knew him, but Viktor assumed that he was a quiet and nervous person by his previous body language and he had guessed than his nerves had been the reason for his defeat in the competition. Either he was very wrong, or Yuuri was so drunk that he was no longer fully in control of his actions. 

As he unbuttoned the last part of his shirt and ripped it off, Viktor noticed how defined his abs were and once again felt slightly flustered at the sight of this boy wearing nothing but his underwear, dancing provocatively in front of all these respected people. He began to swing his shirt above his head, wiggling his hips as he did so, until he stood on his tip toes and flung it away. To his surprise, it made his way towards him and landed directly on his head, with a chuckle, he pulled the shirt away and couldn't help but notice the sweet scent that came along with it; Yuuri smelt good.

As he noticed who it had landed on, a brief look of embarrassment overtook Yuuri's face, but it disappeared as quickly as it appeared and he shrugged, continuing with his dance.

Finally, Chris joined him and he ripped off his clothes too, leaving him only in his briefs; Viktor felt uncomfortable as he watched the two men with their bare chests together and had to rip his gaze away, not wanting to see it. He turned his back and walked over the the back of the room, grabbing another glass of champagne and drinking it all in only a few large gulps. He couldn't understand why Chris being so close to Yuuri was annoying him, he barely knew the guy and they were just trying to have a good time, so who was he to want to stop them? 

Shaking his head, he headed back over to watch them, well...watch Yuuri. The boy looked absolutely insane, but also breathtakingly beautiful as he spun with the pole, holding onto Chris with a cheeky smile. The two of them did work well together, both understanding what to do and how to grab people's  attention, as well as how to actually use the pole. Finally, the song finished and much to Viktor's relief, they moved away from each other.

Yuuri began to scan the room and when his eyes locked on Viktor, Viktor felt his heart jump and Yuuri began to make his way over. He pretended to look unfazed as the younger boy wrapped his arms around him, until he began to grind on his leg and Viktor's cheeks flushed, feeling the warmth of Yuuri's body on him once again. 

"Viktorrr," Yuuri slurred, gripping Viktor tightly, "after this season ends, my family runs a hot spring resort, so please come," he looked up at Viktor with glistening eyes, wide and pleading, "beeee my coach viktorrrrrrr!" 

Yuuri let his legs collapse slightly and leaned entirely on Viktor and he felt his eyes widen and with a soft sigh, he smiled; this boy was just entirely too cute, it made him feel warm inside. It took a moment for him to register just what Yuuri had said; be his coach? Viktor didn't know the first thing about coaching, he was terrible at comforting people if they were upset - and Yuuri was known for getting upset. Nevertheless, he loved the way that Yuuri could make him feel and the thought of spending a year with him made his heart flutter; he had seen Yuuri skate - and dance - and there was no doubt in his mind that he was talented and was capable of winning gold. Being near Yuuri tonight had sparked the burnt out feeling of inspiration that Viktor had lost, maybe this would be good for him; it would only be a year after all, then he could return to skating with new ideas to bring to the ice.

Before he could answer Yuuri's request, he noticed that he had began to start retching and he quickly put an arm under him, rushing to the bathroom. He carefully led him into one of the stalls and gently placed a hand on his back as he began to vomit; he had seen someone do it on tv before so Viktor began to rub Yuuri's back telling him to "just let it all out." 

After a few moments, he decided that he was done and slowly stood up, wiping his mouth with a piece of tissue before flushing the toilet. The younger boy began to shake and Viktor realised that he was probably cold from his lack of clothing, so he took off his long suit jacket and placed it over his shoulders; Yuuri was shorter than Viktor so luckily it reached to just above his knees and he wrapped it around himself, welcoming the warmth.

"Thank you." He said sheepishly, fiddling with his glasses, amazed that they hadn't fallen off during one of his dances.

"No problem." Viktor smirked, noticing how adorable he looked in his jacket. He also noticed how Yuuri looked tired, swaying slightly to the side, with his eyes starting to twitch. Feeling a need to look after him, Viktor placed his hand in Yuuri's and led him out of the bathroom, making his way to the lift.

"Which room are you staying in?" He asked, hoping that Yuuri was sober enough to remember, otherwise it would cause an issue; he was clearly drunk and if he woke up in Viktor's room the next day with a foggy memory he might panic. 

"Ummm," Yuuri closed his eyes for a moment, his lips moving as he began to think, "twenty...three? I think." 

"Okay." Viktor said, hitting the button for the second floor, Yuuri began stumbling so he wrapped an arm around his waist to support him and ensure he didn't fall over.

As they approached the room Viktor forgot that they didn't have a room key and sighed, "Yuuri where was your key?" 

"Inmyshirrt" he mumbled, beginning to yawn and Viktor gently placed him outside the door.

"I'll go find it, stay here okay? I'll be right back, I promise." He placed a hand on Yuuri's shoulder and looked into his eyes to make sure he understood and when he was sure he did he ran down the corridor and down the stairs, not wanting to wait for the lift. 

He headed back into the hall where Yuuri had thrown his shirt and sure enough there was the key card for the room in the pocket; picking it back up and slipping it into his pocket, Viktor ran back to the second floor and found Yuuri laying on the floor.

"No Yuuri, come on, get up." There was no way that he was leaving this intoxicated boy outside of his room passed out, so he scooped him up carefully - an easier task than he had imagined because of how light he was - and placed the key card into the door. Once they were inside, he placed Yuuri on the chair in the corner of the room, telling him to stay where he was; grabbing a glass from the table, he filled it up with water and handed it to him, ordering him to drink it.

Yuuri was reluctant, whining that he didn't want to, but after seeing the stern look on Viktors face, he sighed and gulped it down quickly. Although he had drank some water, Viktor knew that he was still going to be extremely hungover in the morning and felt sorry for him; he didn't really drink much but he'd had a few hangovers and knew how bad they could be.

"Drink some more Yuuri, come on," he placed another glass of water in his hand but Yuuri refused to drink it, so he softened his eyes, "please, for me?"

It seemed to work and Yuuri drank the second glass too - although he didn't look to happy about it, but at least he was helping slightly.

"Why didn't you fix your tie?" Yuuri asked out of the blue, causing Viktor to knit his eyebrows in confusion.

"What?"

"It's just, I thought you would have fixed it; I mean, with you having a new fancy reputation and everything." Yuuri squinted at the the tie that he loosened during his dance and Viktor scratched the back of his head, laughing nervously.

"Can I let you in on a little secret?" Yuuri nodded eagerly and Viktor continued with an embarrassed smile, "I don't know how." 

Yuuri blinked at Viktor for a few seconds, as if he was trying to process what he had said before beginning to giggle.

"How do you not know how?" He questioned in disbelief with wide eyes, not being able to suppress the laughter that escaped his lips.

"I don't really wear ties or suits, so I never learned." He shrugged nonchalantly, not understanding why it was so hard to believe.

"I'll show you!" Yuuri grinned excitedly, standing up from his chair, but he began swaying dizzily and Viktor quickly moved to stop him. 

"Thanks." He blushed, before grabbing Viktor's tie and completely undoing it, wanting to start fresh. He explained it to Viktor - as well as he could in his drunken state - and Viktor watched intently as his fingers gently looped the material around itself, while Yuuri stuck his tongue out slightly in concentration.

"There!" He grinned proudly, and the Russian man thanked him and looked down at his tie which had been tied perfectly; he had to admit he was impressed at Yuuri's ability to do this while being on the verge of passing out from the volume of alcohol he had consumed.

Once he looked back the Japanese boy, he saw that his eyes were soft and seemed to be longing as he placed his hands gently on the sides of Viktor's face, stroking his cheeks with his thumbs. He slowly licked his lips and then glanced down to Viktor's, as he began to lean in, Viktor became alert and gently pushed him away, ignoring the look of hurt that flooded his face. 

"Viktor...?" Yuuri looked embarrassed and confused, and Viktor instantly felt an ache in his chest for rejecting him.

"I'm sorry Yuuri, you're drunk." 

"So?" He narrowed his eyes, not understanding what Viktor meant, "I still have feelings don't I?"

"Yes, of course, but you don't know what you're doing." He took Yuuri's hand, trying to show that he still cared for him, despite not wanting to kiss, "You'll regret it when you're sober. Trust me."

"No I won't," he pulled his hand away in annoyance, folding his arms, "you have no idea how long I've wanted this." 

Now Viktor was the one who was confused.

"What do you mean?" He questioned with a raised eyebrow, unsure whether this was just drunken nonsense or whether Yuuri was sharing sober thoughts.

"Since I first saw you on my television, you took my breath away," Yuuri pouted, wrapping his arms around Viktor tightly, as if he was afraid this was all some sort of dream and he needed to make sure he was actually there, "I've been trying to catch up to you ever since, but you're so fucking hard to catch." 

Viktor felt his heart begin to beat more rapidly and found himself smiling at the vulnerable boy hugging him, "You're nearly there Yuuri." 

He led him over to his bed and helped him get under the covers, untying the tie that was still wrapped around his head and placed a kiss on his forehead with a gentle chuckle. 

"I'll tell you what, I'll leave you with my number, so if you still feel like this in the morning, or a few days, we can talk, okay?" He suggested, and Yuuri nodded, accepting the offer. He grabbed a pen from the table, however there wasn't a piece of paper and he had no idea where Yuuri's phone was to add himself as a contact. Seeing no other option, he carefully wrote it on Yuuri's hand and placed a smiley face at the end for good measure. 

"Goodnight Yuuri." He whispered before leaving the room with a smile on his face; glancing at his watch, he decided that he couldn't be bothered to go back downstairs and instead went to his own room and feel asleep accompanied by the thoughts of a certain Japanese skater. 

-

Viktor groaned as the obnoxious buzzing of his alarm interrupted his peaceful sleep; sighing, he slowly peeled his cover from himself and grabbed his phone, turning the alarm off. He ruffled his messy hair and rubbed his tired eyes, wanting nothing more than to fall back to sleep, but the light flooding into his room from the window informed him that it was morning and he remembered that he had a flight to catch. 

Reluctantly, he left the warmth of his bed and got himself showered and ready for the long day ahead. Once he was prepared, he sat on the edge of the bed, looking through the photos on his phone from last night that he didn't even remember taking. Memories came flooding back and found himself smiling fondly as he reflected on the time he had spent with Yuuri and how much fun he had; it was the most he'd had in a long time and it was like a breath of fresh air. 

The poor boy had been so hammered that he wasn't even sure that he would remember; Viktor disregarded the thought, Yuuri had said that he admired him for a long time so there was no way that he would forget what happened. He couldn't help but feel excited to see him again, he made his day a little brighter and made him laugh a little harder; surely they would pass each other in the hotel, or the airport at least which gave him hope. 

After packing his suitcase, Viktor headed downstairs where Yakov and Yuri Plisetsky were waiting and they headed to the airport, wasting no time talking with the other skaters.

The car ride was silent but peaceful as Viktor stared out the window, taking in the city he was about to leave; he loved to travel and see new places, but the only time he got the chance was when he was taking part in competitions and he never had any time to explore and enjoy it.

"Where did you disappear to last night Vitya?" Yakov broke the silence, looking questioningly at Viktor as he turned to face him.

"Oh I just went to bed." He shrugged, it wasn't the whole truth, but it also wasn't a lie; he doubted that his coach would be interested in hearing his stories about Yuuri so he avoided mentioning them.

"He was with that Japanese moron." Yuri said venomously, pulling his headphones away from his ears as he glared at him.

"Yeah he was being sick so I took him to his room, then I went to sleep, whats the big deal?" He asked with knitted eyebrows, not understanding why Yuri was being so hostile towards him over something so trivial.

"Did you fuck him?" He asked casually, looking up from his phone.

Viktor almost choked as his eyes widened and he looked at him, horrified, "Yuri Plisetsky, you should not be using that kind of language! And no, of course I didn't." 

"Ok, good." He shrugged, turning his attention back to his phone "besides it's not like you're going to see him again." 

"Why not?" 

"Well, that loss hurt him pretty bad, I'd be surprised if he kept skating, so I'm 99% sure you're not going to see him at any more competitions." 

Viktor hadn't thought of that, he assumed that Yuuri would keep going until he had caught up to him, that's what he had said, right? 

"You're so fucking hard to catch."

The words replayed in his head and he hoped that Yuuri would catch up to him; he really wanted to keep seeing him perform and improve even more and even take the gold medal sometime. The thought of seeing him holding the gold medal on top of the podium made his heart swell and Yuri caught the grin that was tugging at his lips.

"What are you so happy about?"

"What? Oh nothing, just thinking." He dismissed him with a wave of his hand, returning to stare out of the window, noticing that they were almost there.

"About...?"

"None of your business." He smirked and didn't even turn to face him. 

"Vitya, I really hope you don't intend to continue your association with Katsuki Yuuri, you don't need any distractions."

Yuri scoffed, humour in his tone, "Association? He held his hair back for him while he was throwing up; I'd hardly call that an 'association'." 

"You two need to mind your own damn business." Viktor muttered, irritated by how they felt the need to know about his personal life and who he could or couldn't see.

Yakov wanted to scold him for speaking to him disrespectfully but decided against it, not in the mood for having any conflict between them before a long flight.

After a few more minutes of driving, they arrived at the airport and headed inside to check in, dragging their heavy suitcases behind them. 

There were several different queues and as they headed towards the one for planes heading to Russia, Viktor decided to give Yuri some tips for his performance; if he did decide to coach Yuuri next year, he wanted Yuri to be strong in representing Russia in his place. 

"Yuri," he began, making sure that he did not sound patronising as it would infuriate the teen, "about your free performance, the step sequence could use a little more-"

"I won so who cares," Yuri groaned, growing tired of Viktor's superior attitude, "quit nagging, Viktor."

"Yuri! You can't talk that way forever." Yakov lectured him, sick of Yuri's unwillingness to listen to others and take constructive criticism that would make him better.

Viktor's heart fluttered when in the corner of his eye he spotted the messy black hair from last night and turned around to see Yuuri staring at him from a few metres away; now he was sure that he remembered, why else would he stare at him in this way?

"A commemorative photo?" He offered with a smirk, wanting Yuuri to remember their time forever, also wanting an excuse to have a photo of them together "Sure." 

To his surprise, Yuuri turned his back to Viktor and began to walk away, making it feel as though someone was squeezing his heart, he didn't understand why he was behaving this way, did he regret last night after all? Yuri noticed the frown on Viktor's face and felt bad for him so he nudged him, telling him that he was probably just embarrassed and not to worry about it.

He was probably right, he was really drunk last night and did a lot of things he was sure would not have happened if he was sober; besides, he had his number for when he wanted to talk, so Viktor didn't let it get him down and struck up a conversation with Yuri.

-

It had been a week and Yuuri had not been in contact with Viktor, not even a single text saying hello or asking how he was; nor had he shown any interest in trying to contact Viktor and it felt like a slap in the face. He had been excited to talk to Yuuri more, especially when he was in a sober state and actually  knew what he was saying and doing; the fact that Yuuri did not share the same feelings hurt him more than he cared to admit.

Yakov noticed that something was bothering him because it reflected in his performances; he found it more difficult to concentrate and his jumps were not as perfect as they should have been. He was half tempted to jump on a plane to Japan and track him down, demanding an explanation; but he knew this was extremely irrational and would not help the situation, so he just decided to keep waiting, surely he would be in contact soon, right?

-

A few months passed and he still had no contact with Yuuri, he regretted not finding his phone on the night of the banquet and getting his number so he could be the one to initiate the conversation, seeing as though he was too damn stubborn to say hello. 

Viktor found himself checking the JSF website now and then, hoping to find some sort of update as to what Yuuri was up to, but every time he checked, he saw the exact same information and couldn't help but feel disappointed.

-

It had been five long months when Viktor finally decided to put Yuuri in the past and gave up waiting for him.

-


	2. Tear-stained Cheeks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viktor travels to to Hasetsu and finally faces the boy who has been ignoring him for all this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! So I originally planned on having 2 long chapters for this story, but this chapter took a lot longer to write than I thought because I've just gone back to school and I'm drowning in homework and after school sessions so it's difficult to find free time but I promised to update so here it is! 
> 
> (The next chapter will have more original ideas and plots and will be longer)
> 
> Enjoy! <3

To: Viktor Nikiforov 

From: Yuri

Check this out: Youtube.KatsukiYuuri 

 

It had been an entire year when Viktor was sitting on his sofa with Makkachin, just minding his own business, when he received the text from Yuri and clicked the link to see a video of Yuuri skating his free skate programme of "Stay Close to Me".

His heart thumped when he pressed the play button and watched in amazement as he landed all of the jumps almost perfectly and moved across the ice effortlessly; he was met with a mixture of confusion, relief and anger, why would Yuuri ignore him for a year, only to post this for Viktor to see, was he trying to mock him? 

Another thought crossed his mind: what if his number had rubbed off his hand and this was his way of reaching out to him? Did this mean that he still meant what he said and wanted Viktor to become his coach?

Although it wasn't a definite solution to what had happened, he decided to stay optimistic as he pulled Makkachin close and smiled softly.

-

"Vitya!" Yakov yelled, causing Viktor to turn around on the long bridge, "Don't go, stay here!" 

He stopped walking and smiled fondly at his coach, "Yakov, you were the best coach I ever had," the snow was biting into his face as he looked up at the man who had supported him for so many years, "you always will be." 

"If you go now, you can never come back!" He shouted, clearly trying to find a way to make him change his mind, but it didn't work and Viktor simply dropped his bag onto the snow covered pavement and embraced him into a hug.

"Dasvidaniya," he whispered, placing a kiss on his cheek before pulling away, "I'm sorry I can't do as you say this time." 

"It's not like you ever did anyway," Yakov laughed with a sad smile, "just go." 

With a nod, Viktor bowed his head and began his long walk to the airport through the harsh Russian snow, feeling his hands beginning to sting from the cold.

-

After a lengthy flight, Viktor was relieved to be able to stand up and stretch his legs as he stepped off the plane into Japan with Makkachin, grinning with the excitement of actually being there.

The JSF website informed him that Yuuri was from a place called Hasetsu and he had told him that he had a hot spring resort, so after a quick search on Google he had an address and a route to take and was soon on a train on his way to see him.

He hoped that Yuuri would be pleased to see him, but he was also afraid that he would be angry at Viktor for showing up - even though he had invited him while he was drunk. It was too late to turn back now, so he just closed his eyes and listened to his music as he waited for the train to arrive at Hasetsu station. 

Viktor didnt understand much Japanese, but he knew enough to know that he was at his destination and quickly departed from the train and began walking towards the hot springs resort. 

On arriving, he was greeted kindly and left Makkachin in the house as he headed to the spring where he removed his clothes and stepped into the hot water; loving the warmth that it provided his body, he let out a content sigh and allowed himself to relax completely, it was like the calm before the storm, knowing that he would have to face Yuuri very soon and he was unsure of what his reaction would be.

He heard frantic running coming from the house that was getting closer and he was sure that it was Yuuri so he prepared himself, closing his eyes. The door slammed and he opened his eyes to be met with the Japanese boy he had not seen for a year, there were many emotions he expected to see, excitement, anger, joy or even sadness. But he was surprised when Yuuri showed none of these and instead only showed confusion. 

"V-Viktor?" He stuttered, looking almost frightened of him, "what are you doing here?"

"Yuuri!" He smirked, standing up from the water and holding a hand out towards him, "Starting today, I'm your coach, I'll make you win the Grand Prix Final." 

Yuuri blinked a few times, taking off his glasses and squinting as if he couldn't decide if this was happening before taking a deep breath and yelling.

"What?!" 

"Are you not happy to see me?" Viktor pouted, worried that he had made the wrong decision after all.

"What? N-No I'm just surprised," Yuuri began stumbling over his words, looking anywhere but Viktor, clearly feeling uncomfortable, "sorry, I-I gotta go help my mum with the guests."

Viktor knew that this was a lie, but he nodded and slowly lowered himself back down into the warmness of the water, feeling disappointed at Yuuri's reaction.

He's probably just nervous, Viktor reminded himself, they hadn't seen each other for a year after all, and they hadn't had an actual conversation since the banquet. Shaking his head, he placed the wet towel over his head and relaxed once again, deciding he would give Yuuri some time to adjust to his sudden appearance. 

After another twenty minutes of soaking in the hot springs, Viktor stretched his arms above his head, noticing the yawn that escaped his lips and realised he was feeling sleepy; forgetting just how much travelling he had done in the last twenty four hours.

He pushed himself onto his feet and quickly dried himself with the soft towel before wrapping the complimentary robe around himself and heading inside. Mrs Katsuki offered him a steamed bun on his way in, which he accepted gratefully, letting out a small sound of pleasure as he bit into the perfectly cooked food; he could get used to this. 

The footsteps he could recognise anywhere grew louder and a smile soon found its way into his face as Makkachin bounded into the room and jumped at his legs, barking excitedly. Viktor knelt down, stroking his best friend lovingly while whispering in Russian as a grin was spread across his face. The two of them sat on the floor together, Makkachin spreading himself comfortably over Viktor's lap with a glint in his eyes and he welcomed the warmth.

After a glass of water and several more steamed buns, he felt his eyes begin to droop and with a brief scan of the room he noted that there was no one to ask for a place to rest, so he allowed himself to lean back onto the wooden floor and close his eyes. Surely they wouldn't mind if he dozed off would they? Especially after his long journey to get here. Feeling the exhaustion pulling him in, he pulled Makkachin close and slowly began to drift off into weightlessness.

-

"Yuuri!" A lingering voice stirred Viktor from his well-needed rest as he instantly recognised the name that was being called, however his eyes remained closed, wanting to listen to his surroundings without actually having to wake up properly, "why is Viktor wearing one of the Inn's robes?"

The voices were fuzzy and seemed distant, but he tried to concentrate and tune in nonetheless; a part of him knew it was wrong to listen to their conversation against their knowledge - but a larger part of him wanted to eavesdrop anyway.

"He soaked in the hot spring and had dinner, then fell asleep..." the softness of Yuuri's voice made his heart warm and a smile threatened to tug at his lips, but he couldn't show any signs of consciousness, so he kept his lips in a thin line.

He continued his conversation with someone, Viktor had no idea who it was, but he could tell that it was a woman and he began to wonder whether she was Yuuri's girlfriend; what if he was already in a relationship and didn't want Viktor anymore? 

He tuned out of the conversation as his thoughts became cloudy and blocked out his hearing, he felt his eyebrows twitch and knew that the two of them would have noticed it so he played it off by sighing and rolling over, pulling Makkachin closer to his chest before carefully regulating his breathing again. 

The two of them continued to speak but Viktor wasn't really listening anymore, he became worried at the lack of knowledge he had about Yuuri's life and that the possibility was there that he had moved on and forgotten about Viktor and he was now just unnecessarily intruding in his life; he felt his heart rate increase as these doubts flooded his head and he bit his lip to try and remain calm.

"Viktor came here because he chose you, Yuuri." 

Viktor's ears automatically perked up at the mention of his name and he noticed the gentle tone that was laced within the woman's voice; she understood why Viktor was here, so maybe she wasn't Yuuri's girlfriend then, he thought with a sigh of relief. 

Yuuri gasped at this and let out an uneasy breath; Viktor could almost hear the Japanese boy's mind whirring as he licked his lips and searched for something to say but the silence remained as he shifted in his position, causing the floorboards to creak slightly.

Neither of them said anything else and the woman wrapped Yuuri in a hug, whispering something that Viktor couldn't quite hear before slowly leaving the room, most likely trying not to awaken the sleeping Russian.

Yuuri didn't move, however, he remained on the floor, a few feet away from him and just watched as he slept, probably trying to take in the appearance of him from such a close proximity. It made Viktor fill with warmth as he thought about the innocence of this behaviour, wanting to just wrap him up in a hug and never let him go.

After a few moments, Viktor felt a tickle in his nose and scrunched his eyes as he felt a sneeze coming.

"Achoo." His body slightly shook as he let out a small sneeze, grabbing the attention of Yuuri; he slowly opened his eyes, deciding that now was a sensible time to reveal that he was awake. He rubbed his eyes and sleepily sat himself up, feeling the robe falling down his shoulder as he turned to face the younger man who was looking at him with wide eyes behind those large glasses he was so fond of.

"I'm starving," he whispered, his voice laced with sleep and pouted slightly, "hungry."

He began fumbling for words, and Viktor couldn't stop himself from smiling at the adorableness that was Yuuri Katsuki.

Within five minutes he had a pork cutlet bowl placed in front of him and a very eager looking brunette staring at him expectantly, excited for him to try his favourite dish. After a single bite, he understood why he loved it so much as the flavours exploded on his tongue and he grinned into the brown eyes opposite him.

"Vkusno! This is too good for words!" He complimented Mrs Katsuki as he quickly shovelled more into his mouth, receiving a proud smile from her as she blushed slightly and returned to the kitchen to make more for the other guests.

He tried to make conversation with the younger boy and teased him about his lack of success, but he regretted it when Yuuri flinched slightly and hurt spread across his features. Viktor was about to apologise when the door slid open and a woman he recognised as Yuuri's sister leant against the frame.

"Hey, all of this luggage is in the way." She announced, flicking her eyes between Yuuri and Viktor, looking for an answer of what to do with it.

"Can you take it to the room where I'll be staying?" He smiled sweetly, ignoring the horrified look which was plastered on the Japanese boy's face.

"S-staying?" He stuttered, and Viktor finally looked over to him and his heart dropped as he noticed his wide eyes and quivering lip, why wasn't he happy?

After half an hour of dragging boxes up the stairs and piling them in an unused banquet room, the two of them had managed to establish it as Viktor's new temporary bedroom. Yuuri apologised for the smallness of it but he just brushed it off with a smile, saying that he liked the classic feel that it had.

"You look anxious," the Russian man began, swallowing the lump in his throat as Yuuri looked up at him with those large brown eyes again, "you can pay the coaching fee after you achieve success, I'll bill you later."

Of course Viktor didn't actually intend to charge Yuuri for his coaching, after all he was the one who decided to come to Hasetsu in the first place, but he said it with a wink to try and help Yuuri relax when he noticed the tension in his shoulders.

He didn't relax, however, and muttered a "thank you" as he studied the pattern on the wooden floor and avoided eye contact with the silver haired man.

Viktor was growing tired of the awkwardness between the two of them and decided to make a move and try to show a small sign of intimacy towards him. Kneeling down, he slowly placed a hand under Yuuri's chin and pulled it up slightly so that they were face to face.

"Yuuri, tell me everything about you," his tone was soft and gentle as he spoke, desperately wanting him to loosen up, "what kind of rink do you skate at? What's in this city? Is there a girl you like?"

Viktor noticed that Yuuri's breathing was becoming shorter and his eyes melted into his as he spoke; deciding that now was a good a time as any, he grazed his hand down his arm, delicately taking his hand.

"Before we start practising, let's build some trust in our relationship."

Yuuri's breath hitched and his eyes widened considerably before Viktor felt his hand rip away from his own and the brunette quickly scampered backwards and away from him.

"Yuuri, why are you running away?" Viktor knew that his voice was laced with hurt and he didn't try to cover it; he couldn't understand why the man who had been so eager to touch him at the banquet now seemed like he was afraid.

"Uh, n-no reason!" Yuuri spoke quickly and fumbled with his glasses as he pushed himself onto his feet, "I'm gonna get some sleep. Bye." 

With a small nod of his head, Yuuri hastily left the room without looking at Viktor and slammed his bedroom door shut with a swift movement, locking it as he did so.

Viktor was dumbfounded; his mouth hung open and his eyebrows were knitted tightly together as the silence echoed through the small room. Shaking his head, he headed to the bathroom to brush his teeth, deciding to give the younger boy some time alone.

-

"Yuuri let's sleep together! As your coach there's so much I need to know about you!" He knocked on his door enthusiastically, a pillow in his arms, Makkachin by his side, and a smile on his face. He had made the decision that he was going to take a bolder approach, there was no use wasting his time by hovering on the surface and not saying what he wanted to. Obviously he meant "sleep" in the literal way, he had no intentions of giving Yuuri unwanted affection, especially when they hardly knew each other.

"No!" He said bluntly, and Viktor flinched at the harshness of his tone.

Feeling deflated but not wanting to give up when he had finally gained the confidence to do this, he tapped the door gently, ready to explain to him that he only wanted to share his bed in an innocent sense.

"Yuuri-"

"Go away!" He yelled, and the Russian man finally listened, padding dejectedly down the corridor and back into his own makeshift room. His heart tightened and he let out a sad smile at Makkachin, who was grinning happily at him, jumping at his legs, clearly oblivious to the heartache he was experiencing.

He lazily laid down and wrapped himself in the warmth of the thin cover Yuuri's mother had provided him with earlier. With a gentle whistle, he got the attention of Makkachin who laid down beside him silently. Pulling him close, he wrapped his slender arms over the dog's body and gently stroked his soft fur, something that always helped him to feel calm and settle the hurt he was feeling.

A gentle sob escaped his lips as he shook slightly, feeling the warm tears fall down his cheeks; this was not how he had expected his arrival to play out, he wanted to be in Yuuri's arms right now, not on the cold floor, only receiving affection from a canine. 

With a heavy heart, he closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep, but he was haunted by the look of fear and confusion of Yuuri's face after he held his hand, and the severeness of his "No" echoed throughout his head.

Makkachin whimpered beside him, noticing the sadness that was on his owner's face and pushed closer, earning a half-smile before he finally squeezed his eyes tighter and allowed the darkness to take over him.

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so I'm not 100% happy with this chapter but I guess practise makes perfect so the next chapter will better! Thanks for reading! :) <3


	3. Salchows and Sunrises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow ok I am terrible, this isn't longer like I said I would be but I needed it to help the plot develop.
> 
> Also I'm sorry for taking so long to update, everything has been hectic so I wrote like half of this at like 1 am last night and I only just finished it so sorry if it sucks but I'm tired but my brain has been nagging me to update so enjoy the trash <3

"Come on Yuuri, time to wake up." Viktor gently tapped on his door, trying not to feel embarrassed after being rejected last night; after all, he was here to be Yuuri's coach so he shouldn't let anything get in the way. 

An audible groan resonated behind the door and he heard shuffling before the click of the lock and a sleepy looking Yuuri poked his head out. Viktor couldn't help himself from smiling as he admired his messy hair, making him look adorable even at such an early hour.

"Viktor, I'm too tired, it's 5:15, can't we go at like 6?" Yuuri rubbed his eyes as he let out a long yawn, cutting off the end of his sentence as he moved a hand to cover his mouth.

"No, come on we can see the sunrise on the way; it'll be worth it I promise. Besides, we can fit more time to practise in and you'll sleep well tonight if you have a tiring day." He tried to convince Yuuri by plastering a grin on his face, but he was certain that he looked tired himself, although thankfully his eyes were not puffy despite his earlier crying.

"Ugh, fine." Yuuri groaned, grabbing his dressing gown and a towel before heading into the shower room, not having the energy to argue with his coach at this time of the morning.

Viktor felt bad for forcing Yuuri to wake up when he was clearly so tired, but he had woken up several hours ago and not been able to get to sleep and waiting for morning in silence had been driving him insane; he needed to get outside and have company.

He grabbed a dressing gown and towel of his own before heading to the shower room, a few steps behind Yuuri to make sure he didn't invade his personal space, especially when he seemed like a cranky morning person.

Yuuri stepped into one of the cubicals and pulled the curtain across before undressing and turning the tap on; Viktor did the same in a cubical a couple of spaces away and the two of them bathed in silence, both too tired to talk, or maybe they just didn't know what to say. 

The jets of hot water scorched Viktor's skin and he welcomed the warmth as he felt the heat spreading all over his body; he lazily rubbed some soap into his silver hair as he found his thoughts wandering. 

He found himself thinking about he previous night and felt a pang in his chest, he wondered what Yuuri thought about it; did he spend all night thinking about it like he had? Had he forgotten already, not even realising the effect their encounter had had on the Russian man? He probably didn't even think twice about it, surely telling someone to go back to bed wasn't that big of a deal and Viktor was probably just blowing things out of proportion. 

He shook his head and quickly rinsed the soap from his hair before switching the tap off, shivering at the loss of warmth. His hand reached out behind the curtain to grab his towel and he briefly dried himself before wrapping the towel around his waist and stepping out of the cubicle. He sat on the large wooden bench and used his smaller towel to begin to dry his hair, rubbing it against his head as he felt the loose droplets dripping down his face. 

He realised Yuuri would be finished soon so he quickly removed the towel and wrapped his dressing gown tightly around himself instead, before continuing to dry his hair.

Soon enough, the sound of water was cut off and silence encased the room once more as Yuuri dried himself and stepped out wearing only his towel. Viktor found his eyes fixated on his bare torso and he felt heat rise to his cheeks at seeing the defined muscles once again; except this time Yuuri was sober and it was only the two of them. Not wanting him to notice that he was staring, he ripped his gaze away and stared at the corner of the room, pretending to be interested in the pattern of the tiles that covered the walls.

A cough grabbed his attention and he looked at Yuuri who was stood there with dripping hair, while shifting awkwardly on his feet as he stared at the silver haired man.

"C-could you turn around, or leave or something," he questioned as politely as he could, while picking up his robe, "it's just, I need to change into this."

"Of course, sorry. I'll go and get myself ready to leave for practise; just come and get me when you're ready to go." He rose to his feet and offered Yuuri a soft smile before heading to his 'room', which was just 90% boxes at the moment.

He pulled one out that was buried at the bottom of the pile and dug out one of his plain black tees and tracksuit bottoms; perfect for skating. In less than a minute he was changed and headed to the bathroom to finish getting ready.

Once he had brushed his teeth and finished drying his hair, he sat on the floor where he had slept last night and pulled out his phone while he waited for Yuuri to come knocking. 

He had several texts from Yakov telling him how much of a mistake this was and that he needed to come back immediately if he ever wanted to come back; he knew that Yakov would take him back no matter what and rolled his eyes, deciding to ignore them. 

After several more minutes of checking his twitter and Instagram, a soft knock echoed through the room and he locked his phone, grabbing his skating bag as he stood up and placing it on his shoulder.

"Ready?" He asked as he slid open the door to reveal a more-awake Yuuri who had a glint of excitement in his eyes. He didn't reply, he simply nodded his head and the two of them walked down the hall and out of the door.

-

"Hasetsu is beautiful." The pair had been walking for ten minutes in an uncomfortable silence when Viktor finally broke it, admiring the pink blossoms on a tree they were passing, "I wish I had come here sooner."

"It's very under-the-radar, I would be surprised if you had even heard of it until recently." Yuuri shrugged casually, but smiled when he looked at the blossoms too; explosions of different shades of pink hung from the branches, the morning light making them look even more beautiful then usual.

"Oh, I'd definitely heard of it before now," Viktor smirked, remembering how Yuuri had begged him to be his coach and told him to come here, "I was just too busy to visit." 

And afraid. His mind interjected, but he ignored it, he was here now so it was no big deal, he was with Yuuri after a year of being unsure of what to do and he was sure he'd made the right decision. 

Yuuri didn't say anything, but he acknowledged what he had said, understanding that he'd had lots to do this year as the top Russian figure skater. 

"See, I told you it would be worth it!" Viktor's eyes lit up and his mouth stretched into a grin as he pointed happily over the railings of the bridge they were crossing. The sun was just rising and sat on the edge of the large river, reflecting purples, pinks and oranges across the surface as it glistened beautifully. He leant on the railings, resting his chin on his hand as he took a moment to admire it before pulling out his phone to take a few photos, saying something about it being a "perfect opportunity." 

Yuuri didn't take Viktor as a man who appreciated sunsets; he assumed the only things he enjoyed were attractive women and things with a large price tag, so he looked at him questioningly as the gentle breeze messed his hair up and the childish grin remained on his face.

Suddenly he shook his head and pushed away from the railings and continued to walk, remembering the whole purpose of them being outside in the first place.

The rink was not usually open this early on a morning, but luckily Yuuri was friends with the staff there and they had agreed to give him a key to allow him to practise on his own before other people began to arrive and put him off. 

"Right, first things first," Viktor began as the two of them stepped onto the ice a few minutes after arriving, "show me your latest routine."

Yuuri's eyes widened and he fumbled with his glasses nervously, "I haven't skated a routine in about a year - except for yours." He looked at the ground when saying the last part, and Viktor spotted the redness in his cheeks, causing him to smile at his cuteness. 

"Skate mine then." He shrugged casually, skating over to where the CD player was and sure enough his track was already ready to be played, revealing that Yuuri had done the routine recently once again. He pressed the play button and the music began to play loudly within the rink and Yuuri shook slighlty, probably to try and calm his nerves.

He got into position while the intro was playing and instantly started the routine when he was supposed to; although he was doing it well, Viktor could tell that he was very tense and it was not at all how he had done it on the video. 

He flubbed a couple of the jumps, but managed to recover successfully and when he finally got to the ending, he was breathing heavily, avoiding making eye contact with Viktor.

"Well?" He asked timidly, pulling at the sleeves of his jumper, "Did I do okay?"

"You did better than okay, you did great!" He assured him with a large smile, skating over and pulling him into a brief hug, as they pulled away he rested his hands on Yuuri's shoulders and looked into his hopeful brown eyes, "However, you look tense, far more tense than on the video, why is that?"

He noticed his eyes widen and his mouth open in slight shock and Viktor felt confused at this reaction.

"Why do you think? You're watching me. Viktor Nikiforov is watching me skate his own programme when I haven't skated for so long and was likely to mess up and embarrass myself." 

"Yuuri, don't be ridiculous, everyone messes up sometimes, it's all the process of learning and improving. But you need to have more faith in yourself, you're an incredibly talented skater and you need to understand that. Your doubt and hesitation reflects in your performance."

Although he was trying to be supportive, the look on Yuuri's face made him feel as though he had just scolded the younger skater and a frown tugged at his lips, was he a bad coach already?

"Oh, okay," Yuuri mumbled quietly, staring at his skates as he spoke, "thank you."

"No problem! Now, watch me and then copy my movements." He instructed, before beginning to skate around the rink and eventually executed a perfect salchow, the one move that Yuuri found so difficult.

"Do you think you can do it?" The silver haired man asked as he returned to his earlier position, a reassuring smile on his face as he noticed the nervousness of Yuuri's features.

"I could try." He shrugged, beginning to skate and build up speed as Viktor watched him intently, everything had looked so good but nevertheless Yuuri slipped on the landing, leaving him sitting on the cold surface with an expression of annoyance.

"I'll try again!" He yelled, quickly picking himself up from the ice and skating with more determination. Viktor knew that Yuuri could do it, he was so close but he had issues with his landing, but with practise he was certain that he could do it perfectly.

His skates scraped against the ice and he flew into the air, twirling gracefully before landing, only to trip once again and fall. He let out a large sigh as he pushed himself back up and Viktor frowned, he was being too hard on himself.

"Yuuri, let me help you." His tone was gentle as he headed over the the Japanese boy, placing a hand on his shoulder with a soft smile.

"You need to have your arms like this," he began, delicately taking Yuuri's hands and positioning them above his head to help him understand the form. He could have sworn he heard him inhale sharply at the contact and he smirked at how nervous he could make this boy, even with something as innocent as this.

"And when you land, your legs should be like this." He bent down slightly and placed a hand on either one of Yuuri's thighs, pushing them slightly apart and placing them into the position that they needed to be in. He could feel him trembling slightly under his touch and bit his lip as he grazed his fingertips over his legs as he moved down to grip his ankles, twisting them slightly so there were at more of an angle.

"There," Viktor returned to standing and looked Yuuri up and down, nodding happily, "if you can remember this position, you'll definitely be able to land it!" 

"O-okay." Yuuri stuttered and Viktor noted the slight redness in his cheeks and had to suppress a smirk, the younger boy looked down at his legs, and began memorising the position carefully, "I think I can do it." 

He offered Viktor a nervous smile, eyes glistening as he did so and the Russian man nodded, motioning for him to do it. 

"Perfect Yuuri!" Viktor yelled as he landed the salchow successfully, without thinking he skated over to him and wrapped him in a tight embrace, "I knew you could do it." 

Small and timid hands slowly wrapped themselves around Viktor and he could feel Yuuri slowly relaxing into the hug with an exhale and the tension he was carrying disappeared. He found himself smiling at the fact that he had not been rejected by the Japanese boy once again and the corners of his lips tugged into a smile.

-

"What do you want to do now?" Viktor asked Yuuri several hours later as they were stepping off the ice, only receiving a shrug in response.

"I don't know, what do you think we should do? You're my coach after all." Yuuri flopped onto a nearby bench and began to unlace his skates as Viktor did the same while deep in thought. 

"Want to go for a walk?" He suggested, the sun would be setting in a few hours and he wanted to watch it with Yuuri, walking was something relaxing to do too, no pressure, just a chance to talk and unwind, "You could show me around Hasetsu?"

"Everything will be closed by now." Yuuri said with furrowed eyebrows, causing Viktor to roll his eyes slighlty.

"I don't mean shops or cafes or anything like that; I mean are there any nice parks or lakes? Somewhere nice we could go?"

"There's a beach!" Yuuri exclaimed, eyes glistening behind his large glasses, "I love it; it's always so quiet and calm, it's where I go when I want to think, well, other than the Ice Castle of course." 

"Let's go there then," Viktor nodded happily, "but first let's eat and drop our bags off." 

-

After eating yet another one of Mrs Katsuki's delicious home-made meals, Viktor headed to his bedroom to change, he threw on some black skinny jeans and a maroon tshirt as opposed to his tracksuit and pulled his grey coat over himself. 

Rooting through his suitcase, he searched for a moment before pulling out a bottle of aftershave and spraying it on himself, wanting to smell as nice as possible in case anything happened between the two of them. He hated to admit it, but he was slightly nervous, he had never felt this way around someone, it felt as though he was a teenager getting ready for a date, when in reality he was a 27 year old man going for a walk with another man. That's all it was: a walk.

Shaking his head at how ridiculous he was being, he tried to shake off the slight anxiety and left the room, waiting for Yuuri by the door.

Moments later he emerged from his own room wearing a similar outfit with a small smile and a backpack slung over his shoulder; Viktor instantly noticed he had slightly gelled his hair back and he couldn't get over how attractive he was.

A gentle cough stirred him from his stare and he cringed at being caught staring but he guessed Yuuri didn't mind, so he brushed it off the two of them left the quiet house to begin their evening stroll.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will start writing the next chapter ASAP and the plot will move on more I promise <3
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	4. Confessions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh sorry for taking so long to update!
> 
> I feel like this chapter feels a bit rushed compared to my others but I have been procrastinating writing it and I just wanted to finish it rather than leaving it so here it is.
> 
> (Sorry if there's errors it's late and I'm tired oops)

"You did great today Yuuri." Viktor smiled, complementing the younger skater as they walked. 

"Thank you." He noticed the blush that was creeping onto his face and smirked as Yuuri turned his head slightly to the side to avoid his gaze.

"So why do you like this beach so much?" Viktor asked, trying to make conversation while also wanting to know as much about Yuuri as he could.

He received a small shrug in response as he fiddled with his glasses, repositioning them on the bridge of his nose.

"I don't know to be honest, I guess it's just because it's so calm." He began to explain, staring straight ahead as he spoke, clearly thinking deeply, "I used to go every other day, especially if I'd had a bad day at practise; no matter what was happening in my life the beach stayed the same. It kinda helped me in a way, I could always rely on it being there to help keep me grounded, that makes no sense I'm sorry."

The younger boy cringed and shook his head, pushing his fringe away from his face in embarrassment.

"No, no, it makes sense. My life was always changing so I know what you mean, you never know what's going to happen." The Russian man agreed with Yuuri, offering him a warm smile to assure him that he understood his reasoning. 

"Plus, the sound of the waves is super relaxing." Yuuri added with a soft laugh, "Why didn't I just start with that?"

"I'm glad you didn't. You're truly fascinating Yuuri." His cheeks grew in redness instantly and the silver haired man grinned to himself once again at the effect he could have on the Japanese boy just by saying such things.

"We're here!" Yuuri grinned, pointing excitedly at the beach in front of them; Viktor began to ran to catch up to Yuuri, who was now several metres ahead of him after deciding to sprint down the steps to the sand. 

"Wait up!" He called, but Yuuri kept running, giggling happily as he descended lower and lower until he finally stopped, standing on top of the golden grains as he stared into the ocean.

The older skater was out of breath when he finally caught up, his chest heaving from running so quickly and he looked at Yuuri quizzically. Fascinating was an understatement.

The two of them began to walk side by side along the beach, chatting about anything and everything; Viktor didn't care about the topic as long as he was able to hear the soft voice he loved so much. 

"...and then that's when I decided I loved ice skating." Yuuri smiled to himself as he finished his story, his eyes glistening behind his large glasses and it made Viktor's heart beat that tiny bit faster, "How about you?"

"Me?" Viktor questioned, no one had ever asked him about his love for skating, they had only ever asked him what his plan for the future was; how many fans he could attract - much money he could make them. 

"Yeah, who else would I be talking to?" Yuuri chuckled, nudging him with his elbow playfully, "When did you decide?"

Viktor thought for a moment; he couldn't really remember a time that he hadn't loved ice skating, it seemed as though he had been skating since the day he was born.

"I can't remember," he shrugged nonchalantly, "I've always loved it I guess." 

Of course he knew that wasn't true, he had only began to like it because it gave him an excuse to get out of his home, away from his family; Yakov was more of a father to him than his own would ever be. But when he looked into those beautiful brown eyes, he knew that he didn't want to trouble Yuuri with a sad backstory so he feigned a smile and gently kicked some sand as they walked. 

-

After an hour of strolling, the two of them decided to take a rest and promptly placed themselves on top of the sand, enjoying the feeling as the weight left their feet. 

Viktor was more than used to the cold in Russia so he didn't think that he would be affected by the Japanese weather, however he found himself pulling his coat tightly around himself as a cool sea breeze hit his chest, making him shiver slightly.

"Cold?" Yuuri's soft voice grabbed his attention and he looked at the concern in his eyes, his heart fluttering at the sight.

"Only a little." He assured him, pulling his knees closer to his chest to retain more of his body heat. 

"Here," Yuuri pulled his backpack off and began rooting through it before pulling out a blanket and handing it to the Russian man, "I brought this just incase."

"You thought I would get cold?" He chuckled happily, gratefully taking the blanket and wrapping around his shoulders.

"God, no." Yuuri exclaimed with wide eyes, "I thought I would be, I assumed you wouldn't even feel it." 

"Are you?" Viktor asked quickly, looking Yuuri's body up and down to see if he could tell.

"Am I what?" His eyebrows furrowed as he stared at him questioningly.

"Cold?"

"Only a little." He repeated the Russian's words, smiling as he did and Viktor instantly shuffled over, wrapping the blanket around both of them.

"Now neither of us are cold." He grinned, loving the fact that he had an excuse to be close to Yuuri, and began to wonder whether that had been his intention all along.

Their shoulders and knees were overlapping and Viktor could hear each and every breath that the brunette took; it made him feel incredibly calm. 

He watched the waves lapping gently onto the sand a few metres in front of them and gazed into the infinite blue that covered the horizon, thinking to himself. A comfortable silence surrounded the two of them and he didn't mind, just being there with Yuuri was more than enough. 

"Yuuri..." he began, almost regretting breaking the tranquility, but his mouth was speaking before his brain could even process it, "what is it that you want me to be to you? A father figure?"

He felt a flinch beside him followed by him slowly shaking his head.

"A brother, then? A friend?" 

Yuuri let out a monotone mumble, clearly not happy with those options either; he gulped before continuing, he was going to do it. It was now or never.

"Your boyfriend then, I guess. I'll try my best."

Suddenly Yuuri was no longer beside Viktor but he was a few feet away, skating his head frantically with a look of horror on his face.

"No, no, no, no, no!" He pushed himself onto his feet and stared at Viktor, who was looking at him with a heavy heart and confusion clouding his thoughts.

"I want you to stay who you are, I've always looked up to you." Yuuri licked his lips as he spoke, shifting his eyes to stare at the ground, "I ignored you because I didn't want you to see my shortcomings."

Viktor's heart pounded when Yuuri finally addressed the topic he had been so hesitant to touch on, the tension had made him feel like he was suffocating when he had ever considered bringing it up despite the heart ache he had felt for the last year. 

"I'll make it up to you with my skating!" Yuuri promised, and although Viktor was slightly puzzled, he smiled nonetheless and held out a hand.

"Okay, I won't let you off easy then. That's my way of showing my love." He laced his fingers with Yuuri's and smiled at the warmth, ignoring the pain that the rejection was having on him.

He couldn't help himself from glancing down at Yuuri's soft lips and he had to practically restrain himself from pulling him close and crashing their lips together. He coughed awkwardly as he realised he had been staring too long once again and ran a hand through his locks, pulling his hand from Yuuri's and cringed at the loss of contact.

-

A week had passed and Yuuri had continued to reject all of Viktor's advances, regardless of how large or small they were and each time just just as painful as the last.

However, Viktor didn't want him to notice that he was upset over such a thing, so he put on a brace face and no longer flinched when he was rejected; instead, he remained composed and faked a smile.

He had tried to get Yuuri to open up to him, asking about past relationships and even trying to discuss his own, but he had been told to stop and he sighed, placing his head in his hands.

Yuuri had been for his usual morning run to the Ice Castle, breathing heavily as he finally reached the door and felt his heart pounding against his chest; something felt different, although he couldn't quite place his finger on it. That was until he was kicked to the floor suddenly and a small blonde boy held him down roughly with his foot, yelling insults at him.

His head snapped up as he recognised the voice as none other than Yuri Plisetsky; a shiver ran down his spine when the memory of him being told to retire replayed in his mind and he squeezed his eyes tightly to try and surpress the thought.

The younger boy was speaking angrily in Russian so Yuuri had no idea what he was saying but it didn't sound particularly pleasant; eventually he finally removed his foot and allowed the Japanese man to stand up.

"Y-Yuri! What're you doing here?" He stuttered, brushing the dirt off his clothes as he stared at the short blonde in front of him.

"I'm here to take back what's mine." He spat angrily, glaring harshly at the Japanese boy, "Viktor is coming back to Russia with me; he made a mistake coming here." His eyes shifted across the room, frowning as he took in the appearance, it was so different but so similar to his own ice rink and he hated it. 

"It's his choice." Yuuri mumbled, not wanting to make eye contact with the angry adolescent when he was clearly in a bad mood.

He shoved Yuuri to the side with a growl as he stormed past and into the main part of the building to see the older skater. He was skating peacefully on the ice and hardly noticed the two Yuri's join him until he heard the door close and his head whipped round.

"Yuri! What are you doing here?" He was confused but happy nonetheless to see the other Russian but the way Yuri pulled his eyebrows angrily together was proof that he was not so happy to see Viktor.

"What do you think I'm doing here?" He growled, "You promised to make me program and then you fuck off to Japan to coach this excuse of a skater!"

"Don't be rude!" Viktor tensed his jaw when the blonde insulted Yuuri, "I'm so sorry, I completely forgot."

The silver haired man rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment, a small smile nervously on his lips as he saw the way that the fifteen year old was glaring at him angrily.

"You forgot!" He yelled, curling his hands into fists, "how could you forget?"

Viktor shrugged nonchalantly, offering a small smile, "I'm a forgetful person."

Yuri scoffed, a humourless laugh escaping his lips as he stared at the older athlete in disbelief, "Like hell you are! You didn't forget the banquet though did you?"

A small blush crept onto his cheeks and he looked nervously at Yuuri, however he had no idea what they were talking about and simply listened to their little argument with his mouth sealed closed.

"Why don't you stay? I'll give you a program too!" Viktor quickly steered the conversation away from the topic of the banquet, wanting to avoid any awkwardness with Yuuri and the small blonde looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Fine." He sighed angrily, clearly not happy with having to stay in Japan but it was better than going back to Russia empty handed. 

-

The two Yuri's had been practising non-stop during the build up to the local competition between them for Viktor's coaching; of course the Russian man had assigned Yuuri the theme of Eros, wanting him to express his sexual desire once again - much to his dismay.

His eye had twitched when Yuuri announced one day out of the blue that he would think of a pork cutlet bowl when performing, Viktor had been more than confused at this, feeling like he had been slapped in the face by the Japanese man; it felt as though he was completely ignoring everything that had happened at the banquet just to spite him and it was driving him insane.

The competition had been approaching incredibly quickly and the day had finally come; Yuuri was sitting nervously in the changing room of the Ice Castle, going over his routine in his head when his coach stumbled into the room with a tie in his hand. 

"Yuuri," he called gently, a smile playing on his lips as he looked at the brunette bashfully, "would you mind?"

The brown eyed boy chuckled softly as he stood up and made his way towards Viktor, taking the tie from his hands and wrapping it around his neck delicately. His tongue stuck out slightly as his slim fingers carefully wrapped the material around itself, pulling it into a neat knot and flattening his collar.

"History repeats itself." Viktor joked softly, his gentle voice sending warmth through Yuuri and he gave him a puzzled look, not understanding what he was referring to.

He was about to question him when the door opened and Yuri popped his head into the room, "It's about to start, come on." 

Viktor sighed slightly at the moment being ruined but headed out of the room nevertheless, excited to see the two performances.

Yuuri followed close behind but was stopped by a small arm blocking the exit.

"I swear to god, if you don't stop fucking with his mind, you will be sorry." He glared at the brunette, his untamed fringe falling over his eyes as he took a threatening tone.

Yuuri's eyes widened in surprise, confused by what the younger boy meant, how was he fucking with his mind? Viktor was the one who had arrived unannounced and refused to give him any personal space, if anything his brain was the one that was being fucked with.

"Wha-"

"-Yuuri! Yurio! Come on!" Viktor called them and the small boy dropped his arm, irritated by the use of his new nickname as he stormed towards the ice.

-

Although Yuri's performance had been almost perfect, it was clear that Yuuri's had been better and he knew that Viktor was going to be staying in Japan after all; he couldn't deny that it hurt him, having to go back to Russia without the man whom he thought would be his coach, but at least he had a program he could use.

After packing his suitcase, he left the foreign country and the Katsuki family busily celebrated Yuuri's latest victory. 

Yuuri's phone vibrated in his jacket pocket shortly after stepping down from the podium and he excused himself from the people surrounding him, heading to the bathroom to answer it.

Viktor couldn't help the curiosity he felt as to who was calling him and he even felt a pang of jealousy as he noticed the way that the boy's eyes lit up when he looked at the caller ID. 

He knew it was wrong, but he didn't care and entered the bathroom a couple of minutes after Yuuri, hoping to hear some of his conversation because otherwise it would bug him all night. 

Yuuri's giggle echoed through the small room as soon as the Russian entered and he quietly closed the door, heading into a nearby stall silently so that he remained undetected. 

"Thank you!" Viktor could practically hear the grin that was on the skater's face and although it made his heart warm at the thought, he was also slightly sad that he was not the one making him smile in that way. 

"Stop, you're making me blush!" He continued to giggle and Viktor bit the inside of his cheek, knowing that he was starting to feel jealous and he hated it; it wasn't as though Yuuri was dating him, in fact he had rejected him on several occasions. 

"I miss you." 

Viktor's face twisted and he pulled his eyebrows together, wondering who on Earth could be on the end of the phone call, it couldn't be a family member because they were all at the ice rink, and as far as he knew, Yuuri didn't have any long distance friendships or relationship.

"I love you too." The brunette chuckled, and Viktor felt an ache in his chest, jealousy consuming him and he put his head in his hands, shaking his head at how stupid he was being.

"Goodbye Phichit. Talk soon, okay?" Yuuri finally ended the call and left the bathroom with a smile, leaving Viktor in the silence wondering who Phichit was; the name was familiar to him but he couldn't place a face to it and he groaned in confusion.

-

Although his family had been congratulating Yuuri as soon as they arrived home, his mother insisting on making pork cutlet bowls, he couldn't shake the feeling that his coach was upset with him for some reason and it was making him nervous; had his performance not been good enough? Was he regretting being here? 

He couldn't decide what it was, but as his favourite dish was placed in front of him, he threw away the thought for the time being and concentrated on enjoying the delicious meal with everyone who loved him. 

His jaw ached from smiling and laughing by the end of the night and his sister had even given him some of her champagne that she had been saving for a special occasion, although this time he only had half a glass. 

Despite being filled with utter happiness and joy at his success, he was unable to forget the vibe that he was getting from Viktor and every time they talked, he would smile, but it never reached his blue eyes and he frowned, completely clueless as to what was wrong with him.

Viktor left his phone on his chair as he went to the bathroom and Yuuri sighed, frustrated by the way he was acting distant but pretending he wasn't.  A small 'ding' grabbed Yuuri's attention and his eyes locked onto the phone, glancing his eyes across the room to check if the Russian had returned, but he hadn't, so he curiously read the text from Yuri.

"Just tell him." 

Tell who what? Yuuri knitted his eyebrows together and he felt slightly anxious as he considered the possibility that the text was about him, although he didn't know what on Earth Viktor could have to say so the possibility was unlikely.

The door clicked and the tall figure returned, unaware that Yuuri had read his text and sat down casually, typing at a fast speed while biting his lip in thought.

-

"Yuuri, can we talk?" Viktor finally asked, knocking on his door several hours later and the brunette's heart began to pound as he braced himself for whatever was going to come.

Was he leaving?

Was he sick?

Was he angry?

With a deep breath, Yuuri crawled out of his bed and slowly padded over to the door, pulling it open slightly to reveal a nervous-looking Viktor. 

"Hi." He smiled sheepishly, glancing at the floor before making eye contact with him, "Can I come in?" 

Yuuri simply nodded, opening the door more and stepping out of the way so he had room to enter and gently closed it behind him.

"What's up?" He asked casually, patting a spot beside him on the bed and trying to remain calm as he waited for whatever Viktor had come to say. 

Viktor placed himself beside Yuuri and took a deep breath, swallowing the lump in his throat; he had rehearsed it over and over in his room trying to convince himself to just do it but now that he actually had to say it, he was lost for words and coughed awkwardly.

Yuuri looked at him expectantly, lifting his glasses and rubbing his eyes sleepily, "Well?" 

"Yuuri..." he finally spoke, licking his lips as he rubbed his hands on his pyjama trousers, feeling his heart rate increasing, "I have to get this off my chest."

The Japanese boy nodded at him, crossing his legs on the bed and motioning for him to continue with a nod of his head.

"God why is this so hard," he laughed, trying to break the tension that he had created but Yuuri was just feeling more confused and growing more anxious by the second. "Fuck it; so here's the thing. At the banquet last year, I had forgotten what it felt like to feel that alive and happy, but you reminded me Yuuri and I'm so grateful, so thank you. But you also drove me insane, you said such sweet things and seemed really into me, but then you didn't call me or text me after it - not even with an explanation, if you didn't like me then fair enough I can't change how you feel, but it was torture for me not knowing whether or not my feelings were reciprocated and I waited so long for you, so damn long. I finally managed to get over you after the year and then you pop up skating my routine - what was I supposed to think! So I came here to surprise you, yet you didn't seem pleased to see me at all and now I feel like I'm just hovering in your life, unsure of how to feel about any of this." 

Viktor finished his confession, nervously shifting his eyes from the floor to the other man's face and he almost felt regret for saying it when he noticed the frown on Yuuri's face as he stared into the corner of the room engrossed in thought.

"Please say something." He whispered, afraid of what he was thinking and prepared himself for the worst; if Yuuri didn't feel the same after all, he was surely going to be kicked out and told to go back to Russia and that was the last thing he wanted.

"T-the banquet?" Yuuri finally stuttered, looking into Viktor's eyes with a baffled expression, "What happened at the banquet?"

Viktor laughed, thinking that he was joking and being sarcastic, but when his face maintained the puzzled look, he realised that he was being serious. 

"Oh my god." He buried his head in his hands, and cringed, suddenly regretting everything and understanding why he had been so cold; he must have looked like such a fool, throwing himself at a boy who didn't understand why. He couldn't believe how uncomfortable he must have made him feel and his cheeks began to redden in embarrassment as the recalled every flirting technique he had used and everything made more sense now that he knew Yuuri had forgotten.

With a nervous laugh Viktor explained what had happened and Yuuri was the one cringing by the end of it, shaking his head as he felt as though he was going to pass out from embarrassment.

"I can't believe I did all those things, did anyone even try to stop me?" He groaned, not wanting to believe it and hoping that someone had at least tried to stop him from doing it.

Viktor shook his head and laughed, "No, but your friend did record videos and took a lot of photos." 

"I'm going to kill Phichit." Yuuri sighed, his cheeks becoming even more red and Viktor's mind finally clicked, remembering where he had heard that name before and he felt stupid for being jealous earlier.

"What exactly did I say to you?" Yuuri asked, pulling his knees to his chest as he braced himself for even more embarrassment and Viktor smiled.

"You told me about the crush you had on me when you were younger and..." he trailed off, a part of him wanting to preserve Yuuri's dignity and not make him have to hear about it, but he motioned for him to continue and he smirked as he finished the thought, "you told me how much you wanted to kiss me and...other things." 

"No." He fell backwards onto his bed, covering his head with a pillow to hide from his shame as he visibly shook from how embarrassed he was. Viktor let out a soft laugh and gently pulled the pillow from him, smiling at how red his cheeks were.

"You're sober now, so I guess the offer still stands." 

"What offer?" Yuuri reluctantly questioned, unsure of whether not he wanted to know what agreement they had made on that drunken night.

"I said that if you felt the same when you weren't intoxicated, to let me know and we could take it from there." Viktor shuffled closer to Yuuri, propping himself up on his elbow beside the the smaller man with a smirk on his face, "So, do you?"

"Of course I do." Yuuri closed his eyes and covered his face with his hands, still not quite being able to process the fact that he was admitting to his childhood crush that he liked him.

With delicate fingers, Viktor carefully peeled Yuuri's hands from his face and offered a loving smile, "Me too." 

He inched his face closer, making eye contact with him to determine whether or not it was what he wanted, and the glint in his eye let him know that it was, so he let his eyes flutter shut, gently pressing their lips together and grinning as Yuuri kissed him back.

His small hands found their way to Viktor's shirt and he was pulled closer, the kiss deepening as he did so and he felt relieved that he had finally told Yuuri how he felt and his feelings were reciprocated after all.

The two of them melted into each other naturally and both of them were smiling the whole time, feeling content with life and the company of the other person. 

Viktor pulled away briefly and placed a hand on the blue eyed boy's cheek, stroking it gently with his thumb before placing their foreheads together as they listened to each other's breathing in the silence of the room.

"This was worth the wait."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope this chapter wasn't too bad but I was too swamped with school work to do it as detailed as I would have usually, but I also really wanted to finish it so yeah
> 
> I hope you enjoyed! :)

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Feel free to comment and share your thoughts! <3
> 
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